"Your accent... it's not like him," Xiao Zhuo shook his head. "I saw a legend online."
"A legend?"
"An anonymous netizen wrote that his boss was one of the first entrepreneurs to establish industries on Jiang Ye Star. Years ago, during an entrepreneurs' conference, he had the honor of shaking your hand and speaking a few words. Since then, this entrepreneur would repeatedly play videos of your speeches in his office, imitating your accent and common phrases," Xiao Zhuo said. "He likes to say that he had a brief meeting with Chief Jiang, and when someone wanted to flatter him, they'd say his accent was very similar to Chief Jiang's, which would make him very happy."
Jiang Ye was bewildered, finding it both amusing and frustrating.
"That post has over thirty thousand likes and is still quite popular," Xiao Zhuo continued. "I skimmed through the comments, and many people said their own bosses or leaders also imitate your accent and common phrases, even copying your gestures, opening remarks, and closing statements during meetings. Some said that the elite class, especially on Jiang Ye Star and Bi Rong Star, imitate you a lot; it's considered a fashionable trend."
"Does the accent on the exile star imitate my wife's?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The Southern Hemisphere imitates your wife's accent, and the Northern Hemisphere imitates another leader from the exile star, Isabel's, accent," Xiao Zhuo replied. "I learned this online as well; I'm not entirely sure about the specifics."
Jiang Ye was quite surprised.
Such a thing actually existed.
"Next, Ms. Sang Zhilei, why have you come to Spiral Star?" Jiang Ye asked.
Sang Zhilei appeared to be in her thirties, was quite beautiful, adorned with glittering jewelry, and her eyes held a hint of intelligence.
"I'm here to study," Sang Zhilei said. "I've been accepted into Spiral Star's Feng Zhi Shuang School of Economics and wish to attend Professor Feng's lectures."
"Spiral Star's Feng Zhi Shuang School of Economics?" Jiang Ye was astonished. "Does such a school exist?"
"Yes... yes, it does," Sang Zhilei blinked, looking somewhat lost.
"One moment, I'll make a call," Jiang Ye said.
Jiang Ye took out his phone. He had already removed the earpiece he used for quick communication with Feng Zhi Shuang, as her work had become normalized and formalized, requiring reports to Jiang Ye like any other matter, and no longer necessitating constant calls.
He scrolled through his contacts, found Feng Zhi Shuang's number, and dialed.
The call was connected within seconds.
"Old Feng, I heard you've opened an economics school on Spiral Star and are going to teach there?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Yes, it's a very small school, with small classes. I'm teaching twenty-eight master's students, and other students are with other teachers at the school," Feng Zhi Shuang replied. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"I wasn't aware of this. Why did you suddenly decide to start a school?" Jiang Ye asked, intrigued.
"Actually, it was at the request of old friends. Many old acquaintances wanted to place their students with me and persuaded me to open a class. Their earnestness was hard to refuse, so I reluctantly agreed. Plus, I was in need of people under me, so I thought I could find suitable students," Feng Zhi Shuang said, her laughter tinged with both happiness and a hint of helplessness. "Working for you, I've achieved some recognition. Especially a few days ago when I won the Yang Gu Yun Gold Award, which is an internal award for macroeconomists with high industry recognition. So, everyone is flattering me."
"Can I be your student?" Jiang Ye asked.
"What?" A sound of splashing water came from Feng Zhi Shuang's end, followed by the rustling of someone frantically grabbing tissues.
"Aren't you starting a class to teach economics?" Jiang Ye said. "I'll be your student and listen to your lectures when I have time."
"What's the point of that? I'm your subordinate; just assign me any economic tasks you have," Feng Zhi Shuang replied. "It would be awkward for you to attend my classes, and I can't assign you homework."
"Why not? Assign me if you want," Jiang Ye chuckled. "Learning is a lifelong pursuit. As I acquire more planets, I need to deepen my understanding of economics. The more I know, the less explanation you'll need to provide in your reports; a few simple terms will be enough for me to grasp everything."
"This, this... it's not really appropriate..." Feng Zhi Shuang sounded hesitant.
"What's not appropriate about it?" Jiang Ye said. "It's settled. Send me a class schedule later. Is there any coursework I need to prepare?"
"I've released a few new books that are selling very well in bookstores. Last month, I sold over three million copies. You can take a look; some of the content will be discussed in-depth during the class," Feng Zhi Shuang said. "They are: 'Problems and Countermeasures of Jiang Ye Star's Economy,' 'The Grand Review,' 'Resource Optimization Allocation Reform and Wealth Creation Reform,' and 'The Wandering Cobra.'"
"You released so many books at once?" Jiang Ye was surprised. "With your busy work schedule, writing books must be exhausting."
"Old Jiang, don't try to trap me; I won't fall for it. I didn't write these books recently. The first one was written three years ago, the second one during my annual leave last year, the third one was compiled by my team based on my outlines and then slightly revised by me, and the fourth one is actually a compilation, borrowing heavily from fashionable macroeconomic works and adding case studies from Bi Rong Star," Feng Zhi Shuang explained quickly, clearing herself of any suspicion of slacking off at work.
"Alright, I'll make time to read them. You carry on with your work," Jiang Ye said and hung up.
The waiters began serving the dishes, a variety of rat stews and rat dishes.
The expressions of everyone at the table varied: some frowned deeply, some sniffed the aroma and drooled, while others looked at the rat meat as if it were a bomb.
Jiang Ye picked up his chopsticks, gestured for everyone to start eating, and then carefully picked up some rat meat and put it in his mouth.
Unexpectedly, it was quite acceptable.
It wasn't particularly delicious, but it certainly wasn't bad either, and the meat flavor was not strong.
Since undergoing the mitochondrial surgery, Jiang Ye's appetite had surged. After confirming that he could tolerate the rat meat, he began to eat heartily and with great gusto.
The others at the table were spurred on. If even the esteemed Jiang Ye could eat it, there was no reason for them, mere commoners, to be picky. Thus, they all began to partake.
Boss Ying was very pleased and boasted:
"Not bad, right? My restaurant won a silver award at the Food Expo in my hometown. The gold award went to someone with connections!"
"Don't worry, the ingredients are absolutely clean and healthy. My restaurant is inspected for hygiene every few days, and samples of ingredients are sent back to the lab for testing. They've never found any issues. Even the inspectors bring their children to eat here."
The people at the table chimed in, praising the boss's excellent cooking.
While eating, Jiang Ye continued the conversation.
After more than forty minutes of eating and another two hours of chatting, the entire group at the table had finished their discussions.
Initially, everyone was quite reserved, but as the conversation progressed, the atmosphere relaxed, and they engaged in lively banter, their laughter echoing continuously.
As Jiang Ye was leaving, the people at the table exchanged contact information and created a group chat, likely to become good friends who would frequently interact online.
Jiang Ye did not join the group. This type of conversation had concluded, and the next one would involve selecting different individuals.
The inspection of Spiral Star concluded, and Jiang Ye boarded a warship to return to the exile star.
While still en route, he suddenly received a call from Chief Dai.